Raising Yachiru
by lightningmouse
Summary: Open-ended series, based on events long before the manga. Featuring Zaraki Kenpachi and Kusajishi Yachiru, along with some cameos now and then by other characters.
1. Teething Pains

Teething Pains  
-------------------

The first bell Zaraki Kenpachi ever beheld was battered and still slightly warm from the blood it had been resting in before Yachiru had picked it up, finally breaking into a smile through the tears which had seemed ever present for weeks. The moment she'd tried stuffing it in her mouth, Kenpachi had swiftly plucked it from her tiny hand, not returning it despite the woeful look the gesture had earned him. It didn't matter much if she played around while he fought, really, but somehow he suspected actually swallowing random bits of people and blood wouldn't be the absolute best thing for her, even if they were both smeared red from top to bottom at the time. Picking her up to find a river, he'd still kept the bell in his hand, noticing her interest in the sound and the way she smiled each time it tinkled gaily through the body strewn clearing.

Despite the river's freezing water, Yachiru had kept smiling through their ablutions, hair pink once more, even giggling now and then as she tried to make a grab for the bell, still and quiet on the riverbank. Considering that she hadn't done _any_ of her usual giggling at all in well over a week, the sound was infinitely welcome, not that Kenpachi ever would have said as much out loud to anyone.

Once the both of them were clean once more, clothes drying nearby a fire and Yachiru swaddled in the only blanket they had, in a neater fashion that she'd been the first times Kenpachi had wrapped her so, he held up the bell pensively, staring at it. It was clean now, meticulously so, though he still wasn't going to give it to the baby. It would be stupid, really, the fact that she could choke on it glaringly obvious. But it made her happy, and it seemed to have stopped the mysterious crying fits that had accompanied them for far too long now. He looked to the side, studying the baby, who had determinedly freed up one arm from the layers of cloth to stuff a fist in her mouth, gumming it furiously with eyes that shone with glee at the mere sight of the metal bauble nearby, all other woes forgotten.

He wasn't sure what to do with it, but finally, he dug through the threadbare pack beside them, quickly finding what he'd been looking for. A pack of ribbons one would-be ambusher had tried to trade in exchange for his life, picked up by the baby later on and discovered hidden in a pocket of her kimono days afterwards. He'd taken it away while she slept so as to not upset her, knowing she'd forget about it in favour of the next new toy to be seen – though he had a feeling the bells would hold her interest for a long time.

It was a first, he realized. And though he had never bothered to mark such events before, this time, it wasn't about him at all. A crooked smile escaped him while he plucked one of the ribbons from the tangled pile of scraps, freeing it up patiently, bit by bit. He then picked up his sword and holding both blade and bell carefully, he carved a rough character on the metal object, a reminder of the moment. A while later, the small bell had been threaded through a bit of cloth of indeterminate color and hung from his neck, gleaming in the firelight.

Yachiru smiled up sweetly at the big shape looming over her, gurgling in delight as she reached towards the sound ringing out softly with every move Kenpachi made.

"Che. Brat."

The bell rang on late through the night, underscored by childish giggles.


	2. Learning New Tricks

Learning New Tricks  
---------------------------

This time, at least, he'd managed to remember to plop Yachiru down so she could crawl about and play while he fought. Kenpachi was very proud of this fact, and was humming gleefully to himself (a lullaby, sort of, that he'd come up with the last time Yachiru refused to fall asleep involving counting off lost limbs and buckets of blood) as he fought. The would-be ambushers were being delightfully innovative in trying to put him off his count. And oh, such glee and joy and delight he felt, realizing that the bell he was wearing around his neck not only made Yachiru giggle during her playtime, but _also_ meant that the sharper of the bandits actually managed to dodge his blows now and then!

Grinning more widely and ignoring the wail of discontent this resulted in as one of the bandits threw his arm (and sword) up and ran off without further ado (thus keeping all limbs attached, to the envy of his less fortunate comrades on the ground), Kenpachi whirled about and blocked one blow to his back, enjoying every single moment of the fight. Why hadn't he thought of a handicap of the sort earlier, he wondered? The bell was genius! Pure genius!

A squawk of discontent drew his attention, and his smile faded entirely at the sight before him as he whirled around once more (a bandit still spitted on his sword, feebly and politely requesting to not do that again as he was feeling a mite dizzy, thank you kindly sir). The one holding up Yachiru with a knife to her throat forgot to breathe as reiatsu swept over him in sudden, murderous waves and he stumbled a few steps back, never seeing the baby trying to reach for the shiny blade, meeping irritably each time it went further away.

Kenpachi took one threatening stomp towards the would-be babynapper and both knife and baby went tumbling to the ground as the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted dead away, falling to the ground unmoving. The bandit-onna-sword was shrugged off, neatly serving as a landing pad for Yachiru who then tumbled off with a gleeful squeak, off in search of the shiny once more, as Kenpachi returned to his fight with less of a smile and a hum and more of a show of teeth and a snarl.

"Don't touch the baby." A series of furious nods greeted his statement, the bandits deciding in unison that it was very wise and important advice indeed, even as they sought to escape beheading or further dismemberment.

The search for shinies soon proved fruitless, however, and Yachiru's voice rose in discontented wails once more over the battle, though Kenpachi ignored it in favor of creating many bandits-onna-sword for her to giggle at later. (Though she was starting to get bored with that game, and he had a feeling he'd have to get creative again sometime soon to keep her from making _those_ eyes at him. Because getting _those_ eyes was Not Fun and Kenpachi was learning to keep ahead of things so as to not be subjected to them.) What did draw his attention though was an odd sound, along with that of a strangled yelp which was emphatically not Yachiru like, being neither cute nor _that_ high pitched. And then Yachiru's voice was there, only it was a word, and Yachiru had never spoken before - which meant Something Important was about to happen, Kenpachi deduced, accurately so.

"Rawr!"

Reaching out to hold the head of the last bandit in his hand, ignoring the determined swings whirring by his side (just out of reach, much to the bandit's panicky dismay), Kenpachi straightened up and turned around, ready to do that thing with the grrrr again in case someone else had the bad idea to pick up Yachiru again.

And blinked.

"Rawr!"

On all fours (she still wasn't having anything to do with walking and since _those_ looks came up during that particular bit of training, Kenpachi had decided early on she was going to walk when she was good and ready), Yachiru was glaring fiercely at one of the bandits, currently leaning with his back against a tree, shaking like a leaf.

"Rawr!" An undefined pink blob blossomed around the little girl and while it did nothing but flicker to Kenpachi's awareness (sort of, and it probably had more to do with the fact that Kenpachi always intently _listened_ for Yachiru, with more senses than he knew he had), obviously, it had some sort of effect on the man Yachiru had cornered. One last yelp and the man keeled over to the ground, whimpering feebly, while Yachiru clapped her hands at the show.

Kenpachi stared down at the tiny, pink headed girl on the ground, beaming up at him proudly while rawring now and then, miniature pink reiatsu blob wavering around her and all, and he couldn't help but smirk to himself in satisfaction. Yachiru had found a new game all on her own.

He was doing something right, it seemed, if she was taking on such good habits so quickly.


	3. First Words

First Words  
----------------

The woman standing before him, scowling as though she might actually be scary enough to pull it off was a joke, really. And Kenpachi would have had no qualms about brushing her aside (but no smashing, cause hey, she wasn't a fighter and well, that meant something or else, really) but the fact that Yachiru was currently clinging to the woman's shoulder and_ cooing_ of all things made doing anything at all to the woman something of a challenge. That, and Yachiru had finally teethed properly and thus, had discovered that _biting_ did indeed tend to get Kenpachi's attention real fast if used properly and with care. And lots of enthusiasm.

Dammit.

Taking a deep breath and pretending not to notice the way things tended to rattle and shiver around him (the entire courtyard was now cleared of leaves, some of them still floating erratically at the outskirts) Kenpachi glared and growled and didn't quite stamp his foot, while refusing to admit he'd just been Yachiru'd to a standstill.

Damn. It. All.

The woman huffed slightly and gave him a trembling, if ferociously smug smile in return, Yachiru still neatly held in her arms, the baby girl rubbing her cheek on the soft fabric of the kimono while cooing happily. Soft, apparently, was good.

Kenpachi was starting to feel snubbed and it wasn't making him happy at all.

"She needs a new kimono," the woman finally said, having found some sort of balance it seemed in the face of Kenpachi's glaring and general looming about. "This thing she has is no better than a rag by now. And you need to pay more attention to your reiatsu. Fool."

Both eyes popped open at that and Kenpachi took one step (or stomp) forward only to near strangle on what he'd been about to say as Yachiru turned around to look at him, beaming in that ridiculously happy way of hers. "Aaah!" She gurgled while patting the woman's kimono (it was the kimono, Kenpachi comforted himself with – NOT the woman herself that Yachiru seemed to have taken to so suddenly) and then pointed at Kenpachi, while beaming at the one carrying her.

"Ken-chan!"

Leaves fell to the ground as the reiatsu floating about the courtyard went from furious irritation to stunned shock in a heartbeat, dying out with a low meep of whipped surprise.

"Ken-_chan_!" Waving her arms in a way that nearly beaned the woman holding her on the head, Yachiru starting to say the words over and over again to herself, in a gleeful singsong.

Obviously, her first spoken words were something she fully planned on enjoying. A lot. That it reduced the reiatsu in the area lower with each iteration until it was almost nil certainly wasn't noticed by the pink-haired girl or the tall dark-haired man staring down at her, though the woman did. Very much so. A look of unholy glee crept into her eyes at the child's effect on the tall fighter before her, but she wisely looked down and away, not letting him get the slightest hint as to her amusement. Speaking the nickname out loud as well never even crossed her mind.

She might have been brave to the point of foolhardiness, but she wasn't suicidal.

"Neh, stranger-san. Stay awhile. I'll make her a new kimono. And some replacements for later on." She bounced Yachiru up and down in her arms a bit, drawing delighted giggles from the girl while failing to note the sudden critical way Kenpachi observed the gesture, as though filing it away for later reference.

Taking that as a yes the woman turned around on her heel, keeping a careful ear out for giggles and coos from the girl in her arms, the only thing keeping a very brawny (and bloody around the edges, ew) man from doing something... well, stupid. Like taking the girl and running off before the new kimonos could be made.

Kenpachi scowled and stomped and followed, Yachiru's delighted expression and piping voice tugging him along more firmly and securely than any amount of chains might have.


	4. Winter Days

Winter Days  
------------------

"Ken-chaaaaan!"

The cry reverberated through the empty, hollow cabin they'd found during the darkest hours of the previous night, after trudging through a freak blizzard for a touch too long to Yachiru's taste. The respite from the howling wind hadn't really been for Kenpachi's sake, rather than for the small sniffling babe huddled in his arms with a wide-eyed, unhappy look. The snowflakes had been fun at first and the wind a delight, but the biting cold had eventually worn through Yachiru's enchantment, turning smiles into pouts and laughter into chattering teeth.

"Ken-chan!" His name was said in a sharper way this time and Kenpachi finally decided he'd made her wait long enough - all of five seconds, but that was a detail and that he'd decided to make her wait was the point here. Looking up from the small fire he'd gotten going at one point after they'd found refuge, Kenpachi grunted in acknowledgement, the muffled tinkling of the bell he wore around his neck spoiling the rough sound not one bit. Because Kenpachi had made it and there wasn't a bell in creation which would affect _that_ in any way, shape or form.

Yachiru clapped her hands and shook her head, pink wisps of hair waving to and fro and standing up on end once she was done, making her look like an impish ragamuffin. Or rather, even more of an impish ragamuffin. Kenpachi snorted at her, reaching out to smooth her hair only to pause in mid motion as static electricity greeted him with a hungry snap, much to Yachiru's satisfaction. More clapping ensued as the dreaded static monster created bright sparks on Kenpachi's hand.

"Che. Brat. Ya got me." He clapped a hand to his heart and then collapsed in slow motion, lips quirking madly at the shrieks of laughter this gesture produced. It was _not_ a game he played often, but... they _were_ in an enclosed space during the tail end of a blizzard. It wasn't as though anyone would see, other than the one who would appreciate it the most.

Yachiru wriggled out of her blanket, her bright and flowery kimono standing out with sudden sharpness against the aged gloom of the cabin. With a frown and a _very_ swift pounce, Kenpachi caught her before she could scurry outside, wrapping her roughly back in the blanket until only her eyes could be seen. And two sets of extremities, both equally muffled in the wraps the Kimono Woman had made for the girl. She had a name, Kenpachi was certain. The brief sight of the woman's husband about to call out to her when they'd first arrived in the village had hinted as much, but he'd not seen hair nor hide of the man since they'd arrived, not once, nor much of anyone else. It made him wonder what a woman who would stand in his presence was doing with a man who would not, but it wasn't any of his business and he had Yachiru to think of. Yachiru, who was smiling with glee at being wrapped up so, or so he assumed from the ways her eyes were all crinkled up cute-like, waving her arms and hopping up and down steadily in the direction of the door with all the purpose she could muster.

The howling wind had finally abated outside and Kenpachi opened the door, snickering as the snow piled up outside cascaded within and covered Yachiru up to her eyeballs, drawing a loud squeak from beneath the layers of clothing she was wrapped in. The pink spot trapped in the snow bounced up and down once more, with demanding meeps breaking through the cloth, but Kenpachi finished clearing the door before he extricated her from the improvised Yachiru net and chucked her outside into a snow drift (the cascade of giggles showed her approval of the situation) to explore the area while he made certain that he'd properly finished the task he'd been tending to earlier.

He stalked outside and down the path, surveying the pristine landscape with a suspicious look. Eventually he reached the ambush area which had turned out to be anything but, and nodded to himself, noting how the snow had covered the bodies of the bandits he'd killed. He'd have to tell the Kimono Woman to send some of the village men up when things thawed, to bury the bodies. Not that he cared – in fact, leaving them to be picked cleaned by the wild things worked fine for him, but the woman had been insistent to the point of driving him to distraction so he'd agreed just to shut her up. He hacked a branch from a tree and planted it in the ground, wrapping a bit of cloth on it to mark the spot and then turned around on his heel to head back towards the abandoned hut and the Yachiru snowball that would likely be rolling about happily.

As soon as she saw him, Yachiru squealed and waved to get his attention. She wasn't playing in the snow, as he'd expected her to be, but rather had headed for the small lake nearby. She'd cleared an area of snow from the frozen waters' surface somehow and had been skidding around, from what he could tell, until something had caught her attention.

"Ken-chan! Doll!"

She stuck her nose millimeters away from the ice and managed to not stick her tongue out (she'd learned that lesson quickly yet for some reason which defied Kenpachi's comprehension, still forgot at times) and waited for him to arrive. Once he stood by her on the thick ice, Yachiru looked up to give him a pleading look, hoping he'd get the toy out of the ice for her, but instead she was greeted by a somber, veiled expression. Kenpachi slowly crouched down beside her, though he didn't lean down to look closer.

"That ain't a doll, Yachiru," Kenpachi said, softly.

Silence reigned for a moment as they stared at the small frozen hand under the ice, Yachiru's smile slowly fading. She struggled with blanket and cloth and freed up one small hand, holding it up in the sunlight to stare at it, and then placed it down on the ice, above the one buried deep under the ice.

"Bai bai," she murmured softly, hesitantly, before looking up at Kenpachi once more.

"Yeah." Kenpachi leaned down and picked her up, wrapping her hand up carefully while not scolding her about catching cold and her fingers all falling off, for once, even if no one was around to see him be a nag. He headed off towards the path and the village, never looking back once. At least he could also confirm the Kimono Woman's worries and let her know that the people who had lived here had likely fallen prey to the bandits, before the winter struck so harshly. Yachiru squirmed a bit in his grasp, enough so that she could peek over his shoulder as they walked away, staring at the patch of ice in the river until it was only a small, winking spot of light in the white landscape surrounding them.


	5. Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek  
-------------------

Yachiru had discovered a new game.

It usually involved lots of shrieks and giggles, and Yachiru knew those were a good thing and meant people were having fun. This new game - hide and seek - usually started with her going into hiding and then pouncing on the other players to start the seeking. The seeking bit was fun too and she was getting very _very_ good at it – and today she'd be able to show Ken-chan exactly how good she was and wouldn't he be happy and surprised then?

Scurrying over the snow while leaving barely a trace behind, Yachiru gleefully followed her prey, er, playmate, laughing in delight each time he peeked over his shoulder and yelped in surprise (others might argue it was terror, but Yachiru knew better). This chasing people thing was _fun_ and even if this one was slow, it hardly mattered now, did it? It was still chasing, _just_ like Ken-chan did with _his_ friends.

A muffled thud broke her train of thoughts and she tumbled to a stop in the snow, blinking up in bemusement as she realized that her playmate was now flat on his back a few feet away, unconscious. The shadow looming over them grunted irritably at the sight and Yachiru realized that somehow, the man must have run directly into Ken-chan, who was now glaring at him in the Not Good At All way. Which meant he'd not be any good as a playmate for her soon unless she did something to stop Ken-chan. Fast.

"Ken-chan!" Sitting back, she waved her arms at him, looking cute and adorable as can be, giggling up at him. His face softened a touch (a teensy itsy bitsy touch, something only ever Yachiru was able to see really) and he grunted again.

"Che. What're you doing playing with that one? You don't even know where he's been! He could have germs or something." Scowling, Ken-chan nudged the prone man with a foot, now glaring down at him in the Not Good At All And Then Some way.

"Keeeen-chaaaan!" Pouting, Yachiru crossed her arms and looking to the side, sticking her nose up in the air, knowing only too well how that would also keep Ken-chan's attention entirely focused on her. It was the 'Ken-chan said something infinitely stupid and needs to get his feet out of his mouth now or else' look, and she'd had many a chance to perfect it since he'd picked her up for the very first time. That and biting him. She was getting really good at that.

"Aw crap. What now?" With a sigh of resignation, the huge man crouched down to Yachiru height, ignoring the bullfrog croaks she started to cheerfully make in reaction to his current stance. "Quit that, brat. I don't look like a toad when I do this, ya hear?"

"Ken-chan!" And now, it was time for the new word. "PLAY!"

And with that, Yachiru twisted around so she was on all fours, and scurried off, confident that for once, there'd be someone able to be the seeker in the game of hide and seek, and thus keep up with _her_ in return.

One startled yelp and scrambling sound from Ken-chan and fifteen seconds later, Yachiru looked around at the utterly unfamiliar surroundings, plopped down on her behind and opened her mouth wide in a wail of dismay. Ken-chan had _not_ kept up, the rat was _too slow_ and now she was alone and... _lost_. The insult was just too much to bear.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" And thus, a new set of words was added to Yachiru's still limited repertoire as she expressed her immense displeasure over the situation and Ken-chan in general for unexpectedly failing to keep up with her.

"KEN-CHAN NO BAKA!"

----

Left behind in the now abandoned clearing, Yachiru's previous prey (er, playmate) opened his eyes carefully, then started to crawl off for the rather dubious safety of his home, to warn his wife that she had to go look for the little girl. Again.

Opening the trap door leading to the basement storage space, the man peeked carefully through the opening, and nearly shrieked in terror as he realized someone was still _there_. The only thing that saved him from attracting Yachiru's attention once more as Kenpachi carried her away, still immensely peeved that the girl had been found by the kimono woman and not himself, was the fact that the scream sounded more like the strangled whimper of a rat than anything else. (Yachiru would have noticed it if he had sounded like a terrified rabbit, though – those were fast and quick, covering five to fifteen feet in a single leap, and Yachiru _liked_ chasing _those_. A lot.)

"Dear? Relax, it's just me."

The woman's voice was warm, if a bit unsteady, and rife with amusement. The man opened the trap door a bit more and gave his wife a loving, if pitiful look.

"Are they going to be here much longer, dear?" Whispers from down below echoed the question, the other inhabitants of the house having taken refuge there along with the woman's husband when Kenpachi and Yachiru had first arrived, weeks ago. "It's getting a bit cramped in here. And every time _he_ walks above we all get flattened to the ground."

A soft, quiet laugh answered him and the man smiled gently, forgetting suddenly all about his woes and fears as he looked up into his wife's face.

"Don't worry, dear. The bandits have been taken care of and the little one has all the kimonos she'll need for a while, now. It shouldn't be more than a day or two, at the most." Her expression saddened, at that, and she sighed slightly, eyes falling to her hands now resting flatly against her stomach. The man followed her gaze and sobered up, smile fading. He reached to press one slightly cellar-grubby hand over hers, the trap door opening further to accommodate his motion.

"One day, light of my life. One day, somehow, it'll happen and we'll have one of our own."

She smiled at him mistily, grateful to him for allowing her the folly of the past weeks. To keep a dangerous killer under their roof, all for the time spent with the equally terrifying little girl she now knew would never part from her self-appointed guardian – she had given up on even making the offer to unburden the man of the child after seeing them together the first day, burying her hopes and dreams once more in favour of just living in the present.

"I know, dear. I know."


	6. A Day in the Forest

A Day in the Forest  
--------------------------

The screams in the distance had a different quality than the ones Kenpachi and Yachiru were used to, drawing the former's attention instantly and the latter's curiosity as well, albeit a few moments later. Both of them remained motionless, Yachiru paused in the middle of a downward swing of her fist aimed at Kenpachi's shoulder, Kenpachi fisting a hand and pressing it to his thigh to fight the reflex to block her. It was getting easier to do that, these days.

A particularly piercing scream echoed through the forest to them, a gust of wind accompanying it in a mournful dirge. Bits of dead leaves and bark were picked up from the ground, still hard and cold from the lingering winter chill, and before he knew what he was doing, Kenpachi had taken a step forward, and then another. Yachiru's hand rested down softly on his shoulder, and tiny fingers curled into cloth, acquiring a solid grip.

Acknowledgement. Agreement.

Without a word, Kenpachi leaned forward slightly and then burst into motion, swift and intent as he raced along towards the sounds of battle and death.

----

The woman dodged, desperately, still standing between the creature trying to kill her and her fallen comrades, refusing to leave them behind to be slaughtered like helpless infants. Low, delighted laughter surrounded them all, the thing reaching out for her once more, slowly and carelessly, leaving scarlet welts trailing behind in the air to fall to the ground wetly with each sudden sharp flick of its claws as it played with her.

Moments before, she would have said it was overconfident, and that it had so spelled its doom in attacking a full force of shinagmi in so casual a way. Now, she knew better. Unless a miracle happened, Unohana Retsu was going to die. And then the ones who had been meant to protect her on this journey, whose only chance for life she was in so many ways now, would die as well.

With a low sob she raised her head, eyes narrowing in determination and glared at the creature though a veil of red dripping steadily across her features.

"You will not pass." She repeated the words softly, the same she'd been saying over and over again since the last member of her protective detail had fallen, a look of pain and shock etched on his features before unconsciousness had claimed him. Tilting her head back, eyes blazing with defiance, Unohana braced herself for the next attack, which might spell either more pain... or her death. "I will not allow it."

A peal of laughter rang through the forest once more, jagged and insane and so beautiful Unohana thought her heart might break, the hollow weaving through the clearing to try and gain a path around her to the others. She moved, flowing like water over the ground, refusing it access.

"You think you even have a say, little shinigami? You think even _you_ might be able to stop me?" It reached out once more, laughter stilled, a sudden terrible hunger gleaming in its eyes. "I was planning on keeping the best for last, but I suppose I can always feast on you first..."

Unohana tightened her grip on her sword, wishing desperately that her other hand had not been shattered in the thing's initial attack, suspecting it had known very well what it was doing then – knowing what it had been doing in bringing each of her caretakers near unto death, stretching out the sole healer's abilities to the maximum in keeping all those nearby clinging to life while unable to defend any of them or even herself. Somehow, she thought, it had known exactly what to do. Somehow, they had been betrayed.

The hand between them, sudden and solid, holding a sharp edged claw was something neither hollow or shinigami had expected. Blood dripped from the man's hand, though it was too little, showing a wound far too shallow for the claw's ability to rend through flesh and bone, an analytical part of Unohana's mind thought, even as the rest of her suddenly stopped thinking as a flare of darkly happy reiatsu washed over the clearing.

"Che. And what the fuck are _you_, ya ugly bastard?" The man, holding the hollow's claw with such deceptive ease carelessly moved to the side, bumping Unohana several feet away with the tiniest of shrugs. "Outta the way, woman. This looks like a good fight." The hollow tugged back with a snarl of anger and then paused once more in stunned surprise as the man refused to let go, grinning widely and just as hungrily as it had been towards the woman but moments ago. Unohana stared up in shock from where she'd landed, sprawled on the ground. She could feel the still present, if weak, lives of her companions. And then another, smaller but fiercely bright energy suddenly registered, lost within the miasma of murderous delight radiating from the newest arrival. A small shape detached itself from the man's back and hopped towards her, humming cheerfully while scrambling on all fours in her direction, a spark of clean and pure light tumbling out of roiling chaos.

"Ken-chan! Play good!"

Scrambling up in Unohana's lap, Yachiru reached up to pat the woman's cheek, just like the kimono woman had liked so much. "Is okay!" She peered up at the stunned, bleeding woman, the red lines of blood on her face now smeared to the side like a child's finger painting from Yachiru's feather light touches. "Is okay." Nodding reassuringly one last time, Yachiru turned around to watch the fight, curled up in the woman's lap instead of the ground, which was far more pleasant really, no matter how you looked at it.

----

Claws twitching, the hollow yanked its limb back forcefully, dislodging it from the arrogant _man's_ hand. To even think that it could begin to match it, in strength or speed, was ludicrous. It's game had been interrupted, it's fun utterly spoiled – something the idiot shinigami had already started to encroach upon now entirely ruined by some idiot wanderer who wasn't even a death god, nor even held a zanpakuto. And the man thought this would be a _fight_?

Fury bubbling in its mind, the hollow brought forth several more limbs, each claw tipped and weaving back and forth. With a hungry hiss, it stepped back, seeking more room for its death dance. It was angry. It was hungry. And its game had been spoiled, the promised fun snatched away.

And someone was going to _pay_.

----

The thing's speed surprised Kenpachi, though he didn't let that show – he didn't even move at the first attack, head cocked to the side slightly – intent and thoughtful. Analyzing. Blood trickled down his face and with that realization that his sight had been halved also sank in, the thing's eerily beautiful laughter ringing in Kenpachi's ears. A light tinkling sound underscored the laughter and Kenpachi looked down, not caring in the least about keeping eye contact on his opponent. He'd never subscribed to the school of thought that said one should never look away in a fight. No one had yet earned that much regard from him.

Shards of metal surrounded him and Kenpachi realized his sword had been sliced to bits during that attack. Several jagged lines of red scored his body. Warm wetness tickled down his face.

"Stupid little man. Interfering fool. I'll just have to feast on your soul _first_!" Kenpachi stared at the thing with his good eye, lip curling back. If it thought affecting his _eyesight_ would help it, if it thought taking away his _sword_ would make a difference, it had a lesson coming to it.

"And after I eat your soul, I'll eat the little girl's," the hollow purred contently, one claw changing focus, whirling through the air to point at Yachiru, beaming at it from the lap of a deathly pale woman.

In between one breath and the next, the hollow wondered what had gone wrong, even as bare hands plunged into its body, reaching for its heart, pure murder enveloping it in unrelenting waves of reiatsu.

_How?_

----

Clutching the pink haired little girl in a death grip, Unohana stared at the scene in the now quiet clearing, trembling like a leaf, ears deafened still by the death screams of the hollow. The child squirmed a bit and muttered, but Unohana didn't hear her, nor did she let go. And as the man rose to his feet and walked towards them, leaving behind a red smear on the ground if what used to be a hollow, she still didn't move. By the time he reached them both, her trembling had stopped and through the new streaks of blood coating both her and the girl, she stared at the expression on his face as he reached down, one fingertip lightly pressing itself to the girl's upturned nose. Giggles rose through the clearing and the little girl clapped her hands, cheering at the man.

He toppled over afterwards, spent from his berserker rage, though this did not seem to concern the girl overmuch. She simply scooted over to stand by him, patting his hair gently, seemingly content to wait for him to wake up. Unohana extended her senses once more, raw from the sudden and painful death of the hollow, and checked on those laying on the ground behind her. On the edge, wounded and unconscious. But alive. She moved forward towards the man on the ground in front of her, scrambling on all fours, a sudden and fierce need blossoming inside of her.

She would heal her companions. She would clean herself and the little girl up. But first, she would save the man's eye, though the cut would likely scar over. And she would make sure that he would always be able to look at the pink haired girl with so much love and gentleness. With _both_ his eyes.

Always.

----

_Decades later, when Zaraki Kenpachi received the reiatsu eating eyepatch from the 12th Division, captain Unohana Retsu was seen giving him a most unusually exasperated look before gliding off. The 11th division captain trailed in her wake for half a day (while his vice-captain perched on his shoulder and merrily poked at the eyepatch every now and then) demanding an explanation of her behaviour in his usual, blunt tones.  
_

_  
She never gave him one._


	7. Turning Point

Turning Point  
------------------

Unohana stared ahead as they walked, doing her best to ignore the blazing reiatsu flaring up more often than not behind them, or the way her somewhat battered escort kept tripping over their own feet (with winces of pain and embarrassment) each and every time they tried to resist the urge to look over their shoulders at the imposing man following them. They could all practically feel the restless contempt radiating from him, but the fact that he was _there_ at all meant other things were being kept away. Somehow, that had to be good. Right?

Childish laughter suddenly broke the mood (well, at least for Unohana) and the shinigami smiled to herself, feeling the light, airy spark of spirit suddenly detach itself from the barely at rest screaming murder hovering behind them.

"Pretty!" was the declaration, the child somehow scurrying up to and then overtaking her, drawing a sudden sharpening of attention from behind which Unohana ignored, focusing her attention entirely on the child instead. She tilted her head to the side invitingly and the second afterwards, small arms were reaching up for her trustingly, a drilling sensation at the base of her neck firmly settling in as she picked up the child.

"Ken-chan be good!" The admonishment was met with a fearsome glare and a snort of displeasure, though still, the big man followed them, covered in blood and apparently not caring in the least, the healed to a scar gash running down his face only adding to the effect. Unohana repressed a slight smile, wondering at her ability to be amused by the whole thing. She had no doubt as to _why_ she and her company had gained an escort, in the shape of a single man who apparently tore Hollows apart with his bare hands, and bore no zanpakuto of his own.

Neither did any of the others, to a man, for that matter. But all knew that the fact that they _might_ draw the attention of something hungry and deadly was _why_ they were protected by this man, who actually scared them more than the Hollows did, not that they'd ever admit to that fact. But the mission was important, keeping face somehow was also important and the child merrily going from shinigami to shinigami was everyone's saving grace, even when she tugged at hair a bit too enthusiastically, or shrieked in delight directly in someone's ear at the discovery of a new bit of string.

Winds shivered around them and the wind blew through dead branches in an eerie, low wail. And nothing attacked them as they left the more dangerous zones and eventually made their way to the safer, better patrolled areas.

"Che. This is disappointin'." Every single shinigami in the expedition paused at that, and the implied threat in the man's voice. As Unohana turned around to face him, she overhead the "leader" of the expedition topple forward slowly, torn between his unwillingness to move and the fact that he'd been interrupted in mid step when the man had spoken. The tinkling of a small bell broke the silence, and Unohana rested her hand on Minazuki's hilt, lifting her chin slightly in an unconscious gesture that wasn't quite defiance. In the calm and steady stream of strength which flowed from the zanpakuto, she was reminded of her own and both interweaved and mingled smoothly. Her posture steadied and her clear gaze met the towering man's own in just as unyielding a fashion, her reiatsu not repelling the miasma of reiatsu whipping around Zaraki Kenpachi, but not allowing it any purchase or ground to use to push her back, either.

"Che," was the sudden, darkly amused declaration. Kenpachi suddenly reached down to pick up Yachiru, one handed, and tucked her over his shoulder, the child scrambling to get a good grip with a cheerful babble as he turned around and started to walk away. "Yer clear, now. I'm going back in there, to see if I can find any other of those things. Maybe there's one of those worth fighting," he said, though there was an ugly undercurrent to his voice which made it clear there was far more to this than mere sport. "And it ain't like you'd be any fun to fight at all."

Unohana blamed her imagination for the next words the wind carried back to her, despite Minazuki's later conviction that they had indeed, been spoken out loud and meant for her to hear them.

_Not yet, anyway._

Minazuki glowed smugly in the back of Unohana's mind, satisfaction radiating faintly through their threaded reiatsu and the feeling that somehow something had been going on, on a level the shinigami hadn't ever sensed, followed Unohana for many years to come.

But she knew, from that moment on, she now had a different measure to live up to.


	8. Fugue

Fugue  
---------

Arms crossed and behind firmly plopped down on a rock surveying the clearing, Yachiru pouted most ferociously, not even the splatter of blood skillfully directed next to her enough to assuage her ire. Not even finger-painting material would get Kenpachi out of trouble _this_ time, she decided. The sideways look granted her by said object of indignation was met with a further jutting out of her lower lip and a fearsome scowl.

"Che!" was the equally sulky reply, and Kenpachi spitted another hollow on his worn sword, almost carelessly so. The creatures had grown increasingly weaker as the weeks passed, until those left over now weren't even much sport but Kenpachi had determined that every single one of the creatures in the forest would die, and even being bored wasn't going to stop that.

He finished off the lot of hollows, each hissing and gurgling pathetically at him and then let his shoulders slump, sighing heavily. Turning around, he started to say something, then blinked a few times rapidly.

"Yachiru?"

A look to the left exposed nothing. A slow, steady swivel of the head and a look to the right revealed naught as well. A look straight ahead at the rock showed blood drops dripping down on the dirt of the forest ground, and again, absolutely no sign at all of any pink haired moppet.

A slow twitch developed against Kenpachi's cheek, along with a gradual reddening of his face.

"YACHIRU!"

----

Skimming along the ground, hands and feet pattering in a swift and agile motion, Yachiru giggled gleefully, ignoring the quickly fading shouts she'd left behind. The leaves were dancing overhead, urging her onward in her quest for something _fun_ and new and entertaining to do, and the little girl wasn't about to let that moment go to waste. Of all the things she'd learned with Kenpachi, it was that living every moment to the utmost was the only possible thing to do if one was going to become… anything at all, really.

A high-pitched shriek of pure horror suddenly broke Yachiru's reverie, and her rhythm as well, sending the girl into a sudden head over heels tumble which ended in a whirlwind of leaves and a faint thump. Lower body propped up in the air, leaning against something as of yet unidentified, Yachiru blinked and cracked open an eye, wondering who it was that had ended up stopping her tumble.

Wide, horrified eyes stared down at her, two delicate hands clapped to the mouth underneath, hiding it from sight. Yachiru blinked once contemplatively, then grinned widely at the sight, a stream of giggles escaping her, dancing high and bright in the air.

"Oh." The horror faded (slightly) and the eyes staring down at her blinked a few times in bemusement. "Well." They came closer all of a sudden, the man bending down sharply to observe her from up close, earning himself a barefooted stop in the chin as a result. "Ow. Look at you…" The hands were removed and a sudden, equally brilliant smile answered Yachiru's giggles, eliciting yet another series of the cheerful sound as a result. "Well, aren't you the_cutest_ little thing under all that… dirt." The last word was said with a sad little frown and Yachiru found herself scrambling to be on all fours, still smiling merrily, waving a small hand up at the man to cheer him up once more. "Well, that's all right, peanut. We know what to do about that, don't we?"

Both hands were raised up this time, Yachiru nodded cheerfully, knowing exactly what that meant and having determined within seconds of hearing the yell that the man wouldn't be any danger to her at all. The lights suddenly sparkling enticingly around the man's head had nothing at_all_ to do with how easily she let him pick her up, of course, or the way she waved her arms gleefully as they headed towards the river.

----

The splashing sounds from the river did nothing at all to assuage the blood spattered man's mood and with a snort of disgust at the neatly folded clothing on the excruciatingly clean rock near the river, he rested his sword carefully nearby, though nowhere near staining range (a lesson learned the hard way) and then carelessly stripped of his clothing, letting them fall in the dirt near the edge of the water, before stalking in angrily.

"You bastard. You left me to deal with all the damn mopping up and it's not like _that_ was any fun at all and - the _hell_ are you snickering about, dammit?!" The last words ended in a roar and Ikkaku's hands, reaching out for Yumichika with no good intent at all were suddenly stopped as a pink blur suddenly erupted from the water nearby to land neatly in his grasp.

"Ken-chan!" The squirming babe's voice was all hearts and smiles, her eyes dancing in pure joy at him. And, after a moment's pause. "Not Ken-chan." The hearts dropped in the river to drown and the smiles shattered, and the little girl gave him a look of reproach fit to break the heart of the hardest of blackguards. Yumichika's accompanying glare of utter and total doom did nothing to help Ikakku's feeling of impending disaster.

"Er… Yumi? Where did you find it? Oh wait, her. …wait. Waaait!" Eyes bugging out, Ikkaku yelped and raised his hands, Yachiru popping out of his grasp like greased lightning only to be caught by a still frowning Yumichika. Neither Yachiru's whoop of delight nor Yumichika's frowns, however, were noticed as Ikkaku dove under the water, shrieking something about being naked and how improper this all was. Silence reigned after that, and it was all Yumichika could do to keep Yachiru from diving in after Ikkaku. Until the handsome man decided that Yachiru chasing a suddenly chaste and prim Ikkaku around the lake would be a riot and a half, and deliberately let go of the girl, who wasted no time in fulfilling every one of Yumichika's expectations.

----

"Bastard!" Glaring over the campfire, Ikkaku wrung out water from the last of his shirts, ignoring Yumichika's barely stifled snickers (all of which were beautifully done, of course), as well as the way Yachiru kept poking at his side, waiting for him to shriek and run away some more. "I can't believe you did that. S'just a little girl!"

"Exactly!" was the reply, Yumichika tittering and fluttering, arms waving as though that said it all and the laughter that followed was the only obvious continuation of the explanation. With a low coo, Yachiru waved her arms as well, only to pout slightly in discontent as they failed to follow the same squiggly paths the handsome man's arms did. And she couldn't do the sparkly thing either, at that - though the other man's bald head certainly sparkled nicely in the firelight, she couldn't help but notice, very pleased herself for it.

The two men continued to argue (for one) and titter (the other) at each other, their attention diverted away from Yachiru enough that neither noticed as she darted away, suddenly, the very speed at which she took off enough to dry the last of her damp hair. It wasn't hard to find the forest again, and though she didn't even try to actually_find_ Kenpachi, Yachiru knew that if she crisscrossed the place often enough, she'd eventually stumble (likely literally) over him. She'd lost herself in the pursuit of a moth (which was wondering why, oh _why_ the forest's Hunter of Moths had turned its attention on its poor wee self on this dread night) when a pair of well known hands suddenly plucked her up in mid leap and raised her up high, bringing her up to level with a fierce (and suddenly no longer worried) glare.

"YOU!"

"Ken-chan! Love you, Ken-chan! Love you _lots_!"

Kenpachi's heart skipped a beat, the first he could ever remember really, that didn't involve having to pluck Yachiru from one trouble or another, usually involving instant baby death.

"Oh."

The words the sparkly man had taught her for Kenpachi did exactly what he'd promised they'd do, and Yachiru cheered out loud and clapped her hands at him, laughter rising up once more, high overhead, doing the very stars competition in its brightness.

And if Kenpachi's eyes glimmered equally brightly for a moment, Yachiru never noticed, too busy reaching up for the moon shining above.


	9. Plums

Plums  
---------

The fruit seller stared, torn between bemusement, irritation and the niggling doubt that despite the two currently prevalent sentiments, fond amusement would instead soon win out. It wasn't that the child was devouring the sun warmed plum with fierce hunger, as the starved street urchins that prospered in the nearby villages and towns usually did - if she'd done so, snatching the fruit away and chasing her off likely would have been easy. What affected him so much, really, was the fact that she had clearly rushed for the basket, reaching in avidly in pure hunger, only to pause after the first bite with a stunned look. Afterwards, she'd elected to sit primly on the ground in her neat if worn pink kimono, taking small careful bites of the plum in between long moments of awed contemplation and rapt delight, the fruit cradled in her hands as though it were a gift from the very gods themselves.

When she'd finally carefully and meticulously eaten the entire fruit, leaving behind a small, hard core which she was obviously contemplating eating as well, he found himself reaching for his basket. Before she could pop the pit in her mouth, he gravely handing her another sun sweetened plum, turning his then empty hand with the palm towards the sky, for her to drop the pit she'd still been holding onto there.

Her eyes beamed with joy and her smile wasn't quite unlike the dawning of the sun, he decided, straightening up with an impossible to hold back smile of return.

"It's a plum," he informed her, seeing the question in her eyes as she raised the small fruit up high, giggling at it in delight, watching how the sun's light streamed down and played on the dark skin of the plum.

"Plum!" She looked at the fruit intently for a moment longer, repeating the word softly under her breath, breathing in slowly as thought the very air might bring the taste of the fruit to her senses. "Plum, plum, plum!"

"What th' hell is goin' on here?" The air suddenly thickened and the fruit seller found himself rooted to the spot, smile fading in favor of a very wide eyed expression of dawning fear. The pit fell from his nerveless grasp, hitting the ground with a small thunk which sounded almost crystalline clear on the suddenly eerily silent lakeside road.

"Ken-chan!" The pit seemingly flew up from the ground, bouncing off the forehead of the man looming behind him, interrupting whatever he might have been about to say to the fruit seller, who wasn't about to complain, though the thought of having to somehow protect the child from that monster did occur to him. But then the tension suddenly dropped, and he fell to his knees, remembering to breathe once more, ignored by the man who stalked around him with a growl of annoyance.

"Dammit, Yachiru. Quit throwin' stuff at me like that! This is worse than when you figured out the word 'no', fer fuck's sake!"

"Ken-chan be _nice_! Plum!" And she lifted both hands up, after quickly rubbing the one having picked the pit from the ground on her kimono, to ensure that the fruit so presented to Kenpachi was as clean as it had been when handed to her. "PLUM!"

"Yeah, I can see it's a plum, but what're you doin' with… Aw hell, don't give me that look, dammit." The fruit seller dared to peek over his shoulder, and found himself smiling faintly once more despite the fearsome man standing nearby - for he was obviously entirely cowed by the moppet on the ground, beaming up at him in indescribable delight. "Right. Plum. Give it over, then, c'mon." The sharp, demanding and impatient gesture was betrayed by the underlying gentleness and precision as he neatly plucked the fruit from the little girl's grasp. "There, I'm eating the damn… plum…"

The fruit seller smiled, even as the girl giggled and gave him a smug look. His plum trees were most beloved, and the plums they produced the best far and wide in the region. While it would not be quite the same as it had been for the girl, who had clearly never even tasted a plum before, the fruit seller knew without a doubt that the one the man was eating likely was one of the best, sweetest and yet tartest plums he'd ever had.

"Huh." A narrow-eyed gaze slid sideways towards the fruit seller, a warning not to be _too_ smug which was somewhat dispelled by a merrily humming pink haired tot scrambling for both the fruit seller and the basket of plum, managing to interpose herself between the provider of plums and Kenpachi in the process. "Fine. He can live," was the disgusted capitulation, drawing a rather pained look from the man on the ground, who had no doubt that the comment had been entirely serious.

Yachiru cheered and peered into the basket still being carefully held by the man sitting on the ground, and waited for the fruit seller to reach in and select another of the most perfectest plums ever, just for her.


	10. Dancing Leaves

Dancing Leaves  
--------------------

The leaves whirled and danced, in a slow, meditative pattern. The only thing she could hear was their faint rustling as the wind carried them about the clearing, and the only thing she saw how the sun turned them into transparent butterfly wings from one moment to the next when they flew overhead, their veins standing out in sharp contrast against fragile skin.

With great care, Yachiru tightened her hands on the stick she had been given and following the wind trail of the leaf, she struck. The green dot of evanescent life eluded her, whirling suddenly as the wind caught it anew, taking it to safety a few inches out of her reach. With a muffled yelp of protest and indignation, Yachiru lost her balance, the hand still resting on the forest floor slipping, her face solidly planting itself in the dirt.

"OW! Ken-chaaaaan!"

"Again."

"But-"

"Again."

It wasn't often he fell into one of these moods, but it was one Yachiru knew, for this one stood out in startling contrast over most of the others. Kenpachi of Zaraki was calm, quiet and focused, seated on a nearby rock with his sword out, leaning on it as he watched her. The solidity of the stone was nothing next to his own, inflexible resolve, which somehow translated into serenity as he watched her and waited. The little girl finally sighed and nodded, taking a deep breath even as she pushed herself up on her knees to try and get a better chance at hitting the leaves, watching them waver in and out of reach tauntingly.

Face screwed up in determination, she waited, wishing he'd let her revert to her usual game of catch the leaf bare-handed, rather than having to try and hit it with the stick, either with the edge or the point as firmly instructed. Taking a deep breath, unknowingly falling into the same calm Kenpachi was exhibiting, Yachiru held up one hand, otherwise steadily bracing herself on the ground on her knees and one hand, and waited until the wind brought the leaf a little closer once more, to try again.

The shadows of the leaves were what finally tore her fragile concentration away from the green, oft sunlit spots of greenery in the air, and Yachiru contemplated the dots of darkness flitting about her on the ground for a while, her tension slowly replaced by a small, delighted smile. They really were like butterflies, she thought, even as she felt the wind brush up against her back delicately all of a sudden, the shadows shifting patterns on the ground once more.

She found herself lashing out by instinct then, the patterns suddenly making sense, the wind no longer an enemy meaning to thwart and frustrate, but now a staunch ally in battle. When it was over, standing on both feet, upright, Yachiru stared at the leaf speared on her stick in mingled surprise and delight, smiling uncertainly at her success. Turning to look at Kenpachi, she listened to the wind as it caught itself in the captured leaf and waited for his verdict.

"...again."

But he was smiling slightly as he spoke, and even as she wobbled and fell back, landing on her behind, Yachiru was already tracking the path of another leaf in the wind, watching it soar and dance with its shadow on the ground.

One day, she resolved, she would soar as well.


	11. Crossroads

_A.N.: Yachiru, as small children are wont to do (and her moreso in particular), demanded attention. So, she got it. =)  
_

* * *

**Crossroads**

When the dark butterfly finally managed to deliver its message, Kenpachi grumbled and glared and stomped about, much to Yachiru's annoyance. (She hadn't meant to let it through - it had been the sixth, though, and she'd been _napping_ just as he'd told her too, so he could hardly blame her for whatever it was the pretty thing had told him. So there. At least she got to play with it after.) When the ninth got through, he listened to whatever the pretty thing had to say then casually tossed it aside, still determinedly heading in the opposite direction from whence the messages came.

The eleventh to get through (Yachiru neatly distracted by the carefully wrapped piece of hard candy which had been attached to the tenth, wisely sent a few moments ahead as a distraction) produced different results, however. There was only a little bit of frowning and Yachiru's gleeful squeaks earned an amused snicker as she first played with the butterfly and then fought against the cleverly folded wrapping earned her a light pat on the head during one of the less extravagant pounces (namely, when she was actually in range to get a pat on the head to start with.)

"Oi."

Ignoring him entirely, Yachiru fussed and squeaked and poked at the wrapping some more. Part of the paper finally obligingly shifted, the resulting sweep of material unexpectedly turning the covering into a graceful paper crane. The resulting silence was enough to sidetrack Kenpachi from his muttering and grumbling, and he slowly crouched down to observe it (an enraptured Yachiru not even thinking to croak at him to remind him that he looked like a frog when he did that). The small, brilliantly colored paper crane sat in the leaves, a luminous spot of green and gold resting on dull shades of sepia. Kenpachi looked across the swan at the sparkling eyes watching the paper surprise in anticipation and delight, and then refocused on the creature itself as it shifted slightly, without any prompting from its audience.

The small ripple of enclosed reiatsu was one he knew - if one bothered to pay attention to such things - he supposed. Yachiru's quickly indrawn breath told him that she'd recognized it as well, even as she slowly clasped her hands together, waiting for the crane to finish unfurling its wings.

Kenpachi stared at the spot of green, still starkly outlined by dull, dead leaves and snorted to himself. The woman from the Seireitei wasn't one to underestimate his smarts, and he supposed he should feel flattered. Everyone else just tended to assume he was a dull-brained thug and left it at that. The messages accompanying the butterflies had all been very polite, very short. The invitation was open, with no strings attached and the reiatsu imbued in the butterflies had made good on the honesty of the promise, every time.

The paper crane spoke of what was left unsaid, more clearly than any message might have and Kenpachi listened to that message, heard it far more loudly than anything else the healer might have said or done.

Winter was coming.

Yachiru carefully pick up the crane, cradling it close to herself with a delighted murmur. Kenpachi frowned (more) and looked her over with a critical eye. The patches at her knees and elbows were becoming threadbare again, as they were on every piece the Kimono Woman had made for her. It hadn't been that long since they'd left that place behind, or so he thought. But though she didn't complain, Kenpachi had seen her poke a finger through worn hems and stitching more than one with a dissatisfied expression on her face. His frown grew darker as he carefully catalogued each small sign again; comparing them to the host of details he took note of each day, even though time wasn't something he was particularly concerned with. Hadn't been with, before, he slowly admitted to himself.

"Oi, brat." She was a growing child, making do with nothing many of the children they had seen during their travels did. He did the best he could, but while he never worried about his best in battle... sometimes, he did when it came to taking care of Yachiru.

"Ken-chan?" The gaze turned up towards him was fearless and trusting and happy. Yachiru had more than anyone else could ask for and not a single worry in the world. There was an exception to this though. "Ken-chan upset?" Setting down the green and gold confection back in its nest of dead leaves, Yachiru scrambled to him, hands reaching up imperiously to be picked up and set on his shoulder. Patting his cheek, Yachiru gazed at him intently - she didn't like the rare times he seemed so unsure. She often wondered why it was when he was looking at her, that he wore this expression. "Why?"

"You wanna be somewhere warm for this winter?" The question was rough, not entirely casual. Kenpachi looked at her sideways, then turned to study the creature gleaming up at them from the ground.

"Ken-chan too?" It was one of Those Questions Yachiru sensed, instantly. The ones where he was preparing to do something either extremely clever, or uniquely stupid. (He never had an in-between. Yachiru always found this either very entertaining or exquisitely exasperating.)

"Yeah, Ken-chan too," was the rough, annoyed reply, accompanied by a glare and a suddenly not-so-lost grin. The gleam of irritation faded from him expression at the brilliantly approving smile he was gifted with.

"With Ken-chan, go anywhere!" The reply wasn't as careful as Yachiru tried to make them, in such instances (he'd misunderstand and go for option uniquely stupid every chance, if she wasn't careful) so she made sure her smile was extra bright and special, and beaned him on the side of the head before hugging him, just to make her point. And to administer some pre-emptive good sense into his skull. (Just in case. It never hurt to be careful, she knew.)

Raising his hand to rub at the side of his head once she let go - and then blinking in mild surprise, because it was the first time he'd ever had to do that at all - Kenpachi gave her another sideways, perhaps just a bit proud sort of grin, then nodded towards the crane.

"G'wan then, start it up."

Yachiru's eyes widened at the words, the candy inside the crane instantly forgotten - who cared about candy when there was something new and interesting to see instead. Back down on the ground and cradling the crane in a heartbeat (half a heartbeat, Kenpachi would later decide) Yachiru started looking at it from every angle, poking and prodding lightly in order to activate whatever it was the thing did.

"How?" The ingratiating smile Kenpachi gave her at that was all the answer she needed.

The stinking rat didn't know.

Glaring at him in disgust, Yachiru injected every ounce of righteous indignation she possessed into her next words. Her reiatsu flared up in harmony, far more steadily than it had the first few times she'd practice aura control.

"KEN-CHAN NO BAKA!"

The results were instantaneous. With a merry chirp the paper crane suddenly flexed its wings and slowly started to flap them, causing Yachiru to forget her ire on the spot. It fluttered upwards a touch, hovering over Yachiru's cupped hands, and gently whirled around until it was pointing in a specific direction then sang out a single, joyful note.

Their guide to the healer woman was most perfect, in her opinion.

A darkly scowling Kenpachi was not so impressed.


End file.
